Call to Action: Something YOU can do to oppose SB193

New Hampshire Senate bill SB193, aka the “School Voucher” bill, is now very close to becoming a law. For those not keeping track, this bill will transfer taxpayer money out of public school budgets and into “scholarships” that parents could use to send their students to private schools, including religious schools. This will either be terrible for public schools or increase local taxes to cover the decrease in education funding by the state. It is very likely to be found unconstitutional, which means that the State of New Hampshire will be wasting taxpayer money defending this in court. There are also problems with the transparency and accountability of funds transferred in this manner.

The good news is that we live in a democracy, and that means YOU can take action to oppose this. Here’s what to do…

One of the final hurdles to SB193 becoming a law is a hearing by the House Finance Committee on Tuesday, Jan 16, 2018at 1:30 PM in room 210-211 of the Legislative Office Building (right behind the State House) in Concord, NH. This meeting is open to the public, and we strongly encourage everyone opposing this bill to attend. It is up to the public to educate lawmakers on the Finance Committee as to what financial harm this will do to NH schools. YOU have the opportunity to sway votes, and that could lead to some last minute changes or even stopping the bill.

Be sure to arrive early, because it is sure to be mobbed. When you arrive, sign up to speak or you can sign in on the “blue sheet” as opposed.

Each person testifying will have 2 minutes to make a statement. Public testimony is crucial. Often, that testimony is off-point or doesn’t address the issues that will move the reps. Because this is a hearing by the Finance Committee, please focus your comments on budget implications and the large amount of money that would flow from public schools to religious schools. Also, there are reps very concerned about the unconstitutionality of the sectarian schools issue.